With the honourable exception of Bedford’s Mike Rayer, there is no coach with more experience of English rugby‘s second tier than Glenn Delaney who left Nottingham after eight years as a coach and then director of rugby earlier this summer to join London Irish as forwards coach.
His role at the Green & Whites has been filled by Martin Haag but that was far from the only new arrival in the Championship last season. Dean Richards’ Newcastle drop down while, at the opposite end of the geographical spectrum, Jersey enter the league and players of the calibre of Phil Godman, Rory Lawson, Richard Haughton and Ben Pienaar have been snapped up.
Here Delaney gives The Rugby Paper his expert analysis of the 12 runners and riders:
“I think one of the clearest indications of how far the gap is being closed between the Championship and Premiership was that in the last round of friendlies the Prem clubs were only winning by 7-13 points.
“With the players that clubs have recruited the league is stronger than it ever has been but Newcastle have already demonstrated what strength in depth they possess. You saw last weekend when they beat Leeds 52-17 and then Doncaster 52-19 on the same day with virtually two different teams. They have recruited very well and in Dean Richards they have a director of rugby who knows how to get out of the division.
“Bristol were in their shoes not so long ago and there has been a lot of blood-letting at the Memorial Ground but I would still expect them to be up there as Newcastle’s main challengers. Then you have Bedford who have a coach in Mike Rayer who knows the league better than anyone and has a very beneficial relationship with Saracens.
“I would expect my old club Nottingham and Cornish Pirates to also be challenging for the top four and I think Jersey may well surprise a lot of people. My dark horses though are London Scottish. They had good foundations in place from last season with a solid pack and Simon Amor has recruited very well to give them a cutting edge behind the scrum.”
Bedford Blues
Probably the best all-round rugby team in the league. They move the ball very well and like to play with ball in hand whenever possible. Although they are not poor by any stretch of the imagination, Mike Rayer has done a phenomenal job managing part-time players and has made it a real strength of theirs.
Key player: Ben Gulliver – I would have loved to have signed him for Nottingham. He will do a great job in the engine room, especially as their lineout was not the strongest last season.
Bristol
They have gone through a process of getting rid of a lot of players who were part of two successive play-off failures, even if they were in contract, so they could start with a fresh slate. Jason Hobson will give them a solid front row, they always have a very competitive back row led by Iain Grieve.
Key player: Fautua Otto – He was injured for a large part of last season but when he plays he is their real danger man in the backs because of the problems he can create from the 13 channel.
Cornish Pirates
Another team in a transition phase, Rob Cook will be a huge loss for them not just because of his points but he was a key attacking player for the Pirates. Ian Davies has been a big part of their success in recent years so he knows what to expect taking over from Chris Stirling. They made two very decent signings from Nottingham in Ben Prescott and Kieran Hallett.
Key player: Jonny Bentley– he is out injured at the moment but when he returns I expect him to be their focal point in attack especially with Cook departing.
Doncaster
Speaking to Brett Davey last year I think this will be the first season he has got the players he wants in place. He wants to play an attractive brand of rugby but the one area they are very well stocked is in the tight five – when we played them last season they had some massive pieces of meat in there.
Key player: Jamie Lennard– He did well for them last time and will provide direction and organisation but I think he has got a big point to prove after his short spells with Irish and Bedford.
Jersey
They are a relative unknown but they will become known very quickly. A lot of teams will approach it as their weekend away and they will win a lot of home games for sure, however, like London Scottish last year, it will take time to acclimatise to how tough the Championship is.
Key player: Richard Haughton– They have made some quality signings and Richard was probably the pick of the bunch – a proven Premiership performer who knows exactly where the try line is.
Leeds
Have had a high turnover of players but I think their key signing was that of Dave Baldwin as forwards coach. He has been around the track for a while and will add a bit of steel into their pack. Getting Calum Green, a player I have had on dual-registration, was a great move – he’s tough, abrasive and is a nuisance in the contact area.
Key Player: Jacob Rowan – An outstanding rugby player who would grace any Premiership side, technically excellent and a tremendous leader on the field.
London Scottish
Already had solid foundations in place from last season and have now added some real ballast in the midfield with PJ Gidlow and Dave McCall. With Phil Godman at fly-half they now have an excellent 10-12-13 combination with a flier like James Love outside them. With that sort of backline and a pack that gives them a platform they will be very hard to beat.
Key player: PJ Gidlow – What he gives is a physical point you can work off and around by attacking the gain line which is so important at this level.
Moseley
Always a team that people underestimate, they know how to stay in the Championship and Billesley Common is a tough place to go. With the signings Kevin Maggs has made they will be a much better side than last year – I would have loved to have signed Ben Pienaar for Nottingham, a guy who still has a lot more to give.
Key player: Neil Mason – A bit of an unsung hero but he really is the heart and soul of their team who sets the tone with his performances.
Newcastle
The scary thing for the other teams is that they have a stronger squad than this time last year. Rory Lawson and Jimmy Gopperth are a world-class half-back pairing. The one unknown factor is how they handle the play-offs – favourites on paper but, as Bristol showed, knockout rugby can affect teams in different ways.
Key player: Carlo Del Fava – A player every coach in the Championship would love to have, by bringing in the Italy lock, Newcastle are making a statement of intent that physicality is on their agenda.
Nottingham
Their performance against London Irish shows they are in good shape. You would expect me to say this but there’s a core of very good players. Bringing back Dan Montagu is a real coup – he’s a Nottingham boy and we have missed the extra physical presence he brings. Young wing Rhys Crane is one to keep an eye one.
Key player: Brent Wilson – Probably the best signing I ever made at Nottingham, such a physical presence and as captain will be the driving force for the team next season.
Plymouth
Nat Saumi did a terrific job in huge adversity last season but I think it’ll be a tough year because the calibre of players they have lost haven’t been replaced. One of the institutions of the Championship and I can guarantee no team will look forward to a trip to Brickfields but I just fear it might be a struggle for them.
Key player: Dave Morton – Plymouth are always well stocked with some of the most competitive props in the Championship and I know Dave is very highly rated down there.
Rotherham
Andre Bester does things in a particular way and it is no surprise so many of his forwards go into the Premiership because he recruits big, strong physical men and has a system that works well for them. Clifton Lane is only 53 metres wide which is very narrow and when you have 15 big men that makes them incredibly tough to break down at home.
Key player: Dan Sanderson – Their one area of weakness last season was their lineout and Dan’s background as a former volleyball player should help them in that department.
GLENN DELANEY WAS SPEAKING TO DANIEL SCHOFIELD
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